DM-Talus[Beta]....

[_Algol_]

DM-Talus[BETA_2] !!

Please see the message down at ze bottom for the newest download link.

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...please let me know what you think! File size is about 7.5 megs, designed for DM or TDM w/ 6-8 players. There's no ambient sounds or music yet, so you'll have to load up your own favorite tunes.

DM-Talus_BETA_.zip

Also:
-Map runs around 60 fps on my system, optimization hints welcome.
-This is my first map for UT2004/03.
-Anyone have any other frequently read forums where I should post this?

 

[T2A`]

Haven't played it, but check out these things:

Distance fog occludes anything beyond it, cutting polys if you move it in close enough to be effective. Use this in conjunction with a fog ring in the skybox (check stock maps like ONS-Dawn for an example).
http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki/Distance_Fog

Use antiportals to optimize outdoor maps since zoning won't work.
http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki/Antiportal

 

[The Warden]

I'm not sure I like the weapon placement, the flak and Udamage(Amp) are a little close, the ledge itself is something to be tossed off of, so the flak is almost overkill.
I walked Threw the trees and fired threw them.

 

[_Algol_]

Haven't played it, but check out these things:

Distance fog occludes anything beyond it, cutting polys if you move it in close enough to be effective. Use this in conjunction with a fog ring in the skybox (check stock maps like ONS-Dawn for an example).
http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki/Distance_Fog

Use antiportals to optimize outdoor maps since zoning won't work.
http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki/Antiportal

Thanks for the links...I had put a few antiportals in on the original. I went back and rebuilt w/ a few more in there. The rebuild didn't seem to make a tremendous difference, at least not on my machine.

What seemed to make more of a difference was rebuilding the weapons/item distribution. I put a Keg o' health in under the Antalus spines and that drew the bots in like bees to honey--with a corresponding FPS drop, since it was rendering something like 6 player actors at once.

Do you, or anyone else, have a list of the DM A.I. "priorities" tree? I.e.: Bot first grabs the flak cannon, then the Udamage, then the shields...etc.

 

[_Algol_]

I'm not sure I like the weapon placement, the flak and Udamage(Amp) are a little close, the ledge itself is something to be tossed off of, so the flak is almost overkill.
I walked Threw the trees and fired threw them.

I hear you on the weapon placement...only about 1/3 of the map was being used by the bots....I went back and rebuilt, but with not a ton of improvement. Something to work on this week, I guess.

Oh, I turned the collision off for the trees, sorry--I gotta figure out how to use a much simpler collision model for 'em, 'cause I don't want to try to use the full tree staticmesh for the collision (if that makes any sense).

 

[T2A`]

Just put a blocking volume around the trunks that closely fits it. And make sure to set whichever Collision property is false by default to true, else rockets and stuff will still pass through.

Bots don't really have priorities in the sense of "First grab UDamage, second grab shields, etc." Their AI is based on a points system, if you will, where they evaluate the best path to take at any given time based on a huge number of factors and some fairly convoluted math. In the end, they act fairly logically enough. Their main goal is to get stuff, not fight. They pick their paths based on what stuff they don't have at the time that they need. If they encounter an enemy while trying to get to that stuff, they will fight him, but as long as no enemies are in sight, all a bot will do is run around the map looking for stuff. I'm not 100% sure on whether or not bots know at all times about the big powerups like shields and whatnot, but something's telling me they do, especially since I know they time the pickups' respawn at higher difficulties. Thus, odds are when a Keg respawns there will be a bot or two (or maybe more) converging on it, especially if your level is small and simple (still haven't formally checked it out; I'll get to it eventually).

I forgot to mention this, but what resolution is your terrain map? Torlan uses a 128x128 map, to give you a point of reference. Your level might be running slow due to too many terrain polys, which can be helped out using distance fog, but ultimately relies on a properly-sized terrain map, terrain poly visibility, and having good places for antiportals.

The UDN is a great site if you're looking for specific answers, like every optimization technique available to you. Hell, an official answer about the bots might even be in there...

 

[_Algol_]

Just put a blocking volume around the trunks that closely fits it. And make sure to set whichever Collision property is false by default to true, else rockets and stuff will still pass through.

Bots don't really have priorities in the sense of "First grab UDamage, second grab shields, etc." Their AI is based on a points system, if you will, where they evaluate the best path to take at any given time based on a huge number of factors and some fairly convoluted math. In the end, they act fairly logically enough. Their main goal is to get stuff, not fight. They pick their paths based on what stuff they don't have at the time that they need. If they encounter an enemy while trying to get to that stuff, they will fight him, but as long as no enemies are in sight, all a bot will do is run around the map looking for stuff. I'm not 100% sure on whether or not bots know at all times about the big powerups like shields and whatnot, but something's telling me they do, especially since I know they time the pickups' respawn at higher difficulties. Thus, odds are when a Keg respawns there will be a bot or two (or maybe more) converging on it, especially if your level is small and simple (still haven't formally checked it out; I'll get to it eventually).

I forgot to mention this, but what resolution is your terrain map? Torlan uses a 128x128 map, to give you a point of reference. Your level might be running slow due to too many terrain polys, which can be helped out using distance fog, but ultimately relies on a properly-sized terrain map, terrain poly visibility, and having good places for antiportals.

The UDN is a great site if you're looking for specific answers, like every optimization technique available to you. Hell, an official answer about the bots might even be in there...

Mucho gracias--I went and made some blocking volumes for the trees; now at least you can't just run thru them.

I had originally run antiportals the length and breadth of the map, but that turned out to really be unnecessary once I ran thru the visibility "painting" tool on the terrian map and zapped all the terrain polys that were outside of the player area....the terrain map was 256x256, so there were a bunch of them that had to go.

...and as far as the bots go, well, I mostly fixed the issue by moving player starts and weapons off of the ground and onto the bridges. Bots navigate most of the whole map by now!

Hopefully I'll have BETA 2 out there this weekend--it's tough to play around in UED during the week unless I want to stagger into work on 2 hours of sleep.

 

[_Algol_]

DM-Talus[BETA_2] !!

DM-Talus[BETA_2] is available....

Please let me know what you think. It's now a 5.1 meg download after I dropped all the screenshots.

DM-Talus[BETA_2].zip

Thanks to everyone here who helped out--specially Turns2Ashes.

Changes for BETA_2:
-Bot Pathing substantially improved!
-terrain textures basically done.
-reduced player count so you don't die 2.2 seconds after spawning.
-re-build weapons locations.
-added keg o' health, Supershield.
-added ambient sounds (some nice crickets), and music(KR-Metallurgy).
-blocking volumes on tree meshes.
-left in some antiportals.
-added more player spawn points.